Flyers’ Steve Mason gets phantom injury, leaves game in 2nd period
Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Steve Mason left Sunday night’s game against the Washington Capitals with some phantom injury.
This is the only type of thing that happens to Philadelphia Flyers goaltenders.
Flyers goalie Steve Mason was in the middle of playing a great game against the Washington Capitals Sunday night. He had stopped all eight Capital shots on net before a TV timeout in the second period. Mason started putting his gear back on to go back in the net for an ensuing penalty kill situation and did some quick stretches. He took one stride and, suddenly, couldn’t go any further.
Mason seemed to lift his right leg off the ice and he went right to one of the medical trainers on the bench. He had to be helped off the ice and back into the locker room and was not able to return to the game. Ray Emery went in as relief for the injured Mason and finished the job as the Flyers beat the Capitals 3-1.
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What happened to Mason, though? How did he get hurt?
Not exactly sure on what the injury is, the Flyers are calling it a ‘lower-body injury.’ It’s worth noting though that Mason has had some bad luck with injuries this season. He most recently returned from a right knee injury. He very well could have re-aggravated his right knee, as that was the leg he seemed to not be able to put pressure on when he was being helped off the ice.
It’s very bad luck for Mason, who has been a brick wall since returning from that right knee injury. Since returning from injury, Mason has gone 3-0-1 with a 1.25 GAA and .959 save percentage. In 34 games played this season, Mason is 11-12-7 with a 2.27 GAA and a .925 save percentage. He has arguably been playing his best hockey since first joining the Flyers during the 2012-13 season.
It will be a tough obstacle to overcome if Mason is forced to miss an extended period of time, as Mason has been one of the lone bright spots of the Flyers season. The Flyers currently sit 9 points behind the Boston Bruins for the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.
They will now rely on backup Ray Emery, who has been less than spectacular this season. In 21 games this season, Emery is 9-9-1 with a 3.34 GAA and a .886 save percentage. Emery technically has a better record than Mason, which is absolute voodoo. However, not exactly the kind of numbers you want to rely on.
If the Flyers had any hopes of getting back in the playoff hunt, I think they just died with Steve Mason’s pride.
H/T to Comcast SportsNet for the information.
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